Teen finds herself, becomes NC Youth of the Year

North Carolina Youth of the Year Aleigha Edwards helps Boys and Girls Club member Hezakiah Rudisill, 7, with his homework during the club's Power Hour. Edwards, now a paid junior staff member at the Henderson County club, will head to Atlanta in June to compete in the Southeast Regional Youth of the Year competition.

Published: Wednesday, April 2, 2014 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, April 1, 2014 at 10:08 p.m.

Looking down the hallways in elementary school, Aleigha Edwards said she vividly remembered seeing a sea of white faces. It wasn't until joining the Boys and Girls Club that she encountered children of different ethnicities, and began the journey of discovering who she was and how she fit in.

Edwards won the title of North Carolina Youth of the Year from the Boys and Girls Club of America on Saturday in Greensboro. During the competition, she gave a speech sharing her experience of finding and owning her identity with the help of the Boys and Girls Club.

In January, Edwards was awarded the Youth of the Year title for the Henderson County club. She has now won a total of $7,000 in scholarships, and in late June will be heading to Atlanta for the Southeast Regional Youth of the Year competition. She will be one of 10 students competing to go for the national title.

During competition, the students have to deliver prepared speeches before the judges and are interviewed afterward.

They will also get to tour the Coca-Cola factory, be matched with a mentor lawyer at a local firm, receive press training, attend etiquette workshops and work together on a group service project.

If named the National Youth of the Year, Edwards would receive up to $50,000 in scholarships from The Rick and Susan Goings Foundation and have the opportunity to meet with President Obama in the White House.

When asked about her prospects of taking the national title, Edwards said she thinks she has a good chance of winning.

Executive Director of the Boys and Girls Club of Henderson County Kevin Lauritsen said he remembers how extremely quiet Edwards was when she first arrived at the club.

“I probably wouldn't have been able to recognize your voice,” he told Edwards Tuesday afternoon at the club. “I don't remember hearing it very much.”

“She was always one of those self-contained kids who kind of had maturity, at least for her years, if not beyond her years, and so she could just be relied on to do what she's supposed to do," he added. "She was always that kid and now there's lot of them like that and they sometimes get lost. Those are the kids if they're not loud doing achievements or loud getting into trouble, they sometimes get lost.”

Lauritsen said Edwards did not allow herself to get lost because she had too much going for her.

But the Hendersonville High senior described the day that she arrived at the Boys and Girls Club as a culture shock.

“There (were) various age groups and ethnicities, all contributing to my being so timid,” Edwards said in her speech Saturday. “You see, growing up I had attended an elementary school that had only a few students who looked like me.”

In her speech she said that as she got older, she started attending the club less and less and found herself getting into trouble to gain the approval of her “so-called friends.” Edwards left the club for roughly two years and began searching for her identity.

“Many of my so-called friends who had also left the club at an early age were getting into trouble and simply underachieving,” Edwards said in her speech. “Drugs, alcohol and teen pregnancy became the norm.”

Without the club, Edwards said her “so-called friends” lacked support and direction. She says she's one of the lucky ones because she came back.

“It is basically like a second home to me,” Edwards said. “I've grown up in the club and it is somewhere you can feel comfortable and be yourself without being judged, and that's what I like - the environment is what I like about it.”

When she returned to the club, she joined her cousin, Diamond Cash who is two years older than Edwards.

“I could not help but notice how many opportunities she was getting through her club experience, and I knew I had made the right decision coming back,” Edwards said in her speech.

Cash is now a staff member at the Boys and Girls Club while attending Blue Ridge Community College.

Edwards said she looks up to her cousin and has always enjoyed having her there with her.

Along with her obligations in the National Honors Society and varsity cheerleading squad, Edwards works as a paid junior staff member at the Boys and Girls Club with elementary-aged members. She is also president of the club's service and leadership group, the Keystone Club.

After high school, Edwards said she hopes to attend the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, majoring in elementary education or nursing specializing in pediatrics because she knows she wants to work with kids.

“Through my job with the Boys and Girls Club, junior staff has really opened my eyes, making me know I want to work with kids,” Edwards said. “I enjoy coming here every day and being with the kids.”

<p>Looking down the hallways in elementary school, Aleigha Edwards said she vividly remembered seeing a sea of white faces. It wasn't until joining the Boys and Girls Club that she encountered children of different ethnicities, and began the journey of discovering who she was and how she fit in.</p><p>Edwards won the title of North Carolina Youth of the Year from the Boys and Girls Club of America on Saturday in Greensboro. During the competition, she gave a speech sharing her experience of finding and owning her identity with the help of the Boys and Girls Club.</p><p>In January, Edwards was awarded the Youth of the Year title for the Henderson County club. She has now won a total of $7,000 in scholarships, and in late June will be heading to Atlanta for the Southeast Regional Youth of the Year competition. She will be one of 10 students competing to go for the national title.</p><p>During competition, the students have to deliver prepared speeches before the judges and are interviewed afterward.</p><p>They will also get to tour the Coca-Cola factory, be matched with a mentor lawyer at a local firm, receive press training, attend etiquette workshops and work together on a group service project.</p><p>If named the National Youth of the Year, Edwards would receive up to $50,000 in scholarships from The Rick and Susan Goings Foundation and have the opportunity to meet with President Obama in the White House.</p><p>When asked about her prospects of taking the national title, Edwards said she thinks she has a good chance of winning.</p><p>Executive Director of the Boys and Girls Club of Henderson County Kevin Lauritsen said he remembers how extremely quiet Edwards was when she first arrived at the club.</p><p>“I probably wouldn't have been able to recognize your voice,” he told Edwards Tuesday afternoon at the club. “I don't remember hearing it very much.”</p><p>“She was always one of those self-contained kids who kind of had maturity, at least for her years, if not beyond her years, and so she could just be relied on to do what she's supposed to do," he added. "She was always that kid and now there's lot of them like that and they sometimes get lost. Those are the kids if they're not loud doing achievements or loud getting into trouble, they sometimes get lost.”</p><p>Lauritsen said Edwards did not allow herself to get lost because she had too much going for her.</p><p>But the Hendersonville High senior described the day that she arrived at the Boys and Girls Club as a culture shock. </p><p>“There (were) various age groups and ethnicities, all contributing to my being so timid,” Edwards said in her speech Saturday. “You see, growing up I had attended an elementary school that had only a few students who looked like me.”</p><p>In her speech she said that as she got older, she started attending the club less and less and found herself getting into trouble to gain the approval of her “so-called friends.” Edwards left the club for roughly two years and began searching for her identity.</p><p>“Many of my so-called friends who had also left the club at an early age were getting into trouble and simply underachieving,” Edwards said in her speech. “Drugs, alcohol and teen pregnancy became the norm.”</p><p>Without the club, Edwards said her “so-called friends” lacked support and direction. She says she's one of the lucky ones because she came back.</p><p>“It is basically like a second home to me,” Edwards said. “I've grown up in the club and it is somewhere you can feel comfortable and be yourself without being judged, and that's what I like - the environment is what I like about it.”</p><p>When she returned to the club, she joined her cousin, Diamond Cash who is two years older than Edwards.</p><p>“I could not help but notice how many opportunities she was getting through her club experience, and I knew I had made the right decision coming back,” Edwards said in her speech.</p><p>Cash is now a staff member at the Boys and Girls Club while attending Blue Ridge Community College.</p><p>Edwards said she looks up to her cousin and has always enjoyed having her there with her.</p><p>Along with her obligations in the National Honors Society and varsity cheerleading squad, Edwards works as a paid junior staff member at the Boys and Girls Club with elementary-aged members. She is also president of the club's service and leadership group, the Keystone Club.</p><p>After high school, Edwards said she hopes to attend the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, majoring in elementary education or nursing specializing in pediatrics because she knows she wants to work with kids.</p><p>“Through my job with the Boys and Girls Club, junior staff has really opened my eyes, making me know I want to work with kids,” Edwards said. “I enjoy coming here every day and being with the kids.”</p><p>___</p><p>Reach Bindewald at 694-7890 or renee.bindewald@blueridgenow.com.</p>